The Church: Towards a Common Vision

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The Church: Towards a Common Vision ( The Church: Towards a Common Vision ) is a study prepared by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) by the WCC Central Committee in the summer Received in 2012 and published in 2013.

Background, development and approach

The study builds on the 1982 " Lima Declaration " Baptism, Eucharist, Ministry . The main reason was the criticism from various member churches of the WCC that there was a lack of fundamental reflection on ecclesiology . Thus two preliminary documents were first in 1993 in the Faith and Order Commission draws up and publishes The Nature and Purpose of the Church (Engl. The Nature and Purpose of the Church , 1998) and The Nature and Mission of the Church (Engl. The Nature and Mission of the Church , 2005). The statements of churches, individuals and groups were incorporated into the final version of 2012.

Unlike the previous documents, this version - like only the Lima Declaration itself so far - is called the Convergence Text. It is therefore “a text that does not express a complete consensus on all the subjects dealt with, but is nevertheless much more than just a tool to stimulate further studies”, “a synthesis of the results of the ecumenical dialogue that have been developed over the past decades on important ones ecclesiological topics ”.

Basic idea

According to the judgment of the Roman Catholic theologian William Henn, who helped draft the text as a member of the Faith and Order Commission, four elements are important to the study: 1. Its new ecumenical methodology, which is not based on the mere comparison of differences and similarities, but starts from a common search for a deeper understanding of God's will; 2. the definition of the church as a missionary community; 3. The consideration of the Church as a body on pilgrimage and always in need of renewal; 4. the insight that the church is not an end in itself, but God's tool for the healing of the world.

These basic ideas also determine the declaration of unity: God's gift and call to unity - and our commitment , which was adopted in November 2013 by the 10th assembly of the World Council of Churches in Busan . Otherwise, the assembly did not deal with the study, because it was first sent to the member churches of the WCC, which can comment on it by the end of 2015.

construction

The study is divided into four chapters. Chapter I ( God's Mission and the Unity of the Church ) gives a brief introduction to the principles and intent of the Convergence text. Chapter II ( The Church of the Triune God ) describes the Church with reference to the New Testament in four basic dimensions: In Ch. II.B as "Koinonia" (community; communio ; however, it is "not simply the sum of the individual believers", but "a community in the Triune God and at the same time a community whose members participate in the life and mission of God" [ § 23]); in chap. II.C as “a sign and servant of God's plan of salvation for the world” (for which the expression “church as sacrament” can also be used); in II.D as “community in unity and diversity” (which means that divisions are to be overcome, but legitimate differences are to be preserved [§ 30]); in II.E as the “community of local churches”. Chapter III deals with “growing in community” or the path to the desired unity. First the power of sin in the church is emphasized (III.A) and then the results of the ecumenical discussions on the basic elements of faith, sacraments and office are summarized (III.C). Particularly with regard to the last points, the design of the office of supervision (episkopé) through an episcopal or synodal constitution and the need for a universal primate office , however, there is still a need for clarification. Finally, under the title The Church: In the World and for the World , Chapter IV emphasizes that the Church, in alignment with the Kingdom of God, combines evangelism and respect for other religions (IV.A) and accepts the “moral challenge of the Gospel” (IV.B) and to advocate justice, peace, environmental protection and care for the poor and the oppressed in society.

expenditure

  • The Church: Towards a Common Vision (= Faith an Order Paper No. 214), Geneva, WCC Publications 2013.
  • The Church: Towards a Common Vision (= Study by the Faith and Order Commission No. 214). Geneva, WCC Publications 2013.
  • The Church: Towards a Common Vision. A study by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches (WCC) . Gütersloh / Paderborn, Gütersloher Verlagshaus / Bonifatius 2014, ISBN 978-3-579-08189-2 .

literature

  • Susan Durber: Look for the Church: Reflections on “Towards a Common Vision” . In: One in Christ 47 (2013), pp. 193-209.
  • William Henn: Catholics, Ecclesiology and the Ecumenical Journey . In: The Ecumenical Review 65 (2013), pp. 334–337.
  • John Hind : “That Wonderful and Sacred Mystery”. A Reflection on “The Church: Towards a Common Vision” . In: One in Christ 47 (2013), pp. 210-225.
  • Mary Tanner : From Ground Breaking to Breaking New Ground . In: The Ecumenical Review 65 (2013), pp. 330–333.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Quotes from the introduction to the study.
  2. ↑ PDF file